Government Announces Outcome of Sentencing Act Review
Following last week’s pause on the Progression Model element of the Sentencing Act 2026, the Prime Minister has now announced the outcome of the review.
Here is what you need to know:
What is changing:
Rape, serious child sex offences, and grooming offences will be excluded from the sentencing changes, meaning people convicted of these crimes will see no change to their custodial sentence. Wider releases under the Sentencing Act have also been delayed from September to October, to give probation staff time to plan and to allow victims to have a say in licence conditions.
Tougher community supervision:
All people leaving prison will face a presumption of electronic tagging, tougher periods of supervision, and new restriction zones. People convicted of rape or serious child sex offences will face GPS trail monitoring for 12 months after release, mandatory consideration for Approved Premises, and strengthened multi-agency oversight.
Victim support:
A new £10 million package of victim support has been announced, including a dedicated national helpline, improved contact for all affected victims regardless of whether they are in the Victim Contact Scheme, and increased access to trauma-focused local services.
The bigger picture:
The Prime Minister acknowledged that adult male prisons are now at 98% capacity and committed to the fastest prison building programme since the Victorian era, with 14,000 new prison places expected by 2031.
Clinks will continue to monitor the implementation of the Sentencing Act and its implications for the voluntary sector. We will be hosting a free webinar on Tuesday 18 August (10:00am–11:30am) to help organisations understand what these changes mean in practice.
Register here for the Sentencing Act Webinar: What Does It Mean for the Voluntary Sector?
Stay tuned to our Newsletters and LinkedIn for further updates.
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